Team Manager Directions

Position reference:

Directorate: Children’s Services |
Service: Children in Care

Salary: £51,356 - £54,495

Working Arrangements: agile, min 3 days in the week

Hours per week: 37

Contract type: Permanent

Closing date: 20/03/2026 at 23:59

This is a full‑time role. We are committed to supporting work‑life balance, and requests for flexible working, including job share, will be considered in line with the needs of the service. Given the requirement for continuity of support to service users, any flexible working arrangements would need to ensure consistency in case management.

We are happy to talk flexible working arrangements with you, please get in touch.

• We’re an award‑winning team and one of the biggest employers in the borough supporting around 243,000 people.
• Working at Barnsley Council means being part of a team that makes a real difference to people’s lives, where you can develop the skills you need to make change happen.
• If you join the team you’ll receive great pay alongside an excellent pension scheme. With flexible working we’ll also support your work/life balance, helping you to adjust your hours and take time off when you need it.
• We’ll help you to develop your career and grow your skills with opportunities for training and development.
• There’s so much happening in our thriving borough and your talent and skills will help us make Barnsley the place of possibilities.
• Key to our success is working with our residents, partners, businesses and organisations and building these partnerships to bring about change in Barnsley.

We are looking for an individual with strong leadership skills to lead and motivate a team of Personal Advisors (PAs) who has a passion for improving the lives of care‑experienced young people. The post holder will be solution‑focused and have significant experience of working with children in care and care‑experienced young people. You will be responsible for a team of PAs, providing regular reflective supervision, case direction and ensuring high‑quality pathway plans are completed and reviewed within statutory guidelines.

You will confidentially manage performance; quality‑assure work to a high level and ensure practice is of the highest standard. You will act as a role model within the service, with a positive ‘can do’ attitude.

Our aim is for our care‑experienced young people to achieve positive and sustainable outcomes for their future. It will be your role as team manager to ensure that our young people are fully equipped and prepared to navigate their way through adulthood.

Key responsibilities include overseeing budgets, chairing multi‑agency meetings and working with key agencies such as health, education and adult social care to support positive outcomes for our young people. There is also an expectation that you will work closely with our children in care service, working as a team of four managers (2 in children in care and 2 in future directions) providing cover, when needed, for your children in care colleagues.

Therefore, the successful candidate will have relevant safeguarding experience of working and supervising staff in a children in care and/or in a children and young person’s safeguarding team.

• A recognised social work qualification
• Significant experience of working with children, adolescents and care‑experienced young people with the ability to drive planning and outcomes, with a creative approach.
• Experience of trauma‑informed, strengths based and relationship‑focused practice.
• A sound working knowledge of the policies, legislation and procedures that underpin social work practice, with knowledge of children in care and care leaver processes, with experience of working in this area.
• Significant experience of supervising social workers, and of supporting and mentoring.
• Experience of working within performance frameworks.
• Experience of working in partnership to improve outcomes for children and young people.

• A highly competitive salary
• High quality regular supervision and support and a nurturing senior management team that encourages learning and development
• Flexible…